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anybody know anything about spinning wheels?

Started by Dan_Shade, December 18, 2005, 11:50:05 AM

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Dan_Shade

I saw Brucer mentioned spinning yarn for his socks in the sock thread, made me think of a "put off" project of mine.

My mother has wanted a spinning wheel for years, I've wanted to make her one for a while, but I have no idea what one "needs" to be "functional".  I've seen pictures of simple ones, and complex ones, one with treadles, and ones without treadles.

any of you guys have them (or you can call them your wives  :D), some pictures would be great.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

CHARLIE

I suggest you buy a set of plans. They are only $14 and will assure your spinning wheel will be functional.

I've bought plans from this company before and have been satisfied with their plans and service.

http://www.furnituredesigns.com/181.htm

Saxon Spinning Wheel Woodworking Plans

We have two full-size plans for typical Saxon Spinning Wheels.  Both are very fine spinners and can be used to spin either wool or flax.  Making one of these Spinning Wheels is a satisfying project for the woodworker and the finished outcome is a fully functional Spinning Wheel.  An authentic working bit of early Americana, this project is also a fine decorator piece.  A good project for the woodturner, almost any kind of wood can be used, though antique Spinning Wheels have been found made mostly of pine, maple, walnut, and other native woods to the area in which they were used.
 
Some necessary parts require wood thread cutting, metal cutting, filing and brazing.  The plan shows how to make these parts, and we give a source where you may purchase them as a kit, ready to install.

On this webpage, you can puchase the Small Wheel with a 21" wheel diameter.  Stands 35" tall.  You can also purchase a slightly larger version of the plan here:  Large Saxon Spinning Wheel

#181     Small Spinning Wheel   . . .  $14.00
Charlie
"Everybody was gone when I arrived but I decided to stick around until I could figure out why I was there !"

leweee

just another beaver with a chainsaw &  it's never so bad that it couldn't get worse.

Dan_Shade

buying plans? that's no fun!

i've seen things mentioned like having as many spools as possible or bobbins or whatever they call them so you can have different types or colors or whatever.
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

thecfarm

Check out spinning groups in your area.They are always at County Fairs and any Oldtime Days.Spinning wheels are just like chainsaws,many differant kinds and uses for each one.My wife has a Louett and really likes it.At the time $200 bought it to our house and was put together by the seller.
Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

Brucer

Lots of good advice so far.

It might be worth buying a set of plans, even though they may be for the wrong wheel. It'll let you see some of the details that you might not notice just looking at a wheel.

Check out the different styles of wheels. They all have their purposes.

Look for a group of spinners. Between them they'll have lots of different wheels, and lots of different teaching skills. Your mother probably already knows someone who belongs to such a group, or someone who knows someone.

Here's some of the questions you're going to have to answer to come up with a design.
- Style of wheel? Great wheel, Saxony, Castle wheel, folding wheel?
- Single treadle or double treadle (or none if it's a Great wheel).
- Double drive or scotch tension, or both?
- Left hand orifice, right hand orifice, center orifice?
- What height should the orifice be?
- Ratios. Dozens of them. Which ones (plural) will she need?
- Size of bobbins?

Could be your mother already has looked into it and has a good idea of what she wants. Now you gotta do some research so you know what this is all about. If she just vaguely wants to "try her hand at spinning", than a spinning group will be invaluable.

Here's our story ...

Barb is first & foremost an artist. She does amazing things with colour. She's also a Master Knitter -- does all her own design and patterns. Several years ago a friend offered to show her how to spin. She spent an afternoon with the friend (a casual spinner), and came home announcing that "Spinning isn't for me." (I've since leaned that these kinds of pronouncements always have an implied "... yet." tacked onto the end  :D)

A couple of years later, the local recreation department offered an introductory course in spinning. By this time Barb was pretty frustrated with the poor selection of yarns in this part of the country, so she decided to give it a try. But the class was cancelled -- no one else signed up. So Barb gave the instructor -- somebody named "Judith MacKenzie" -- a call to ask if she planned to put on any courses in the future. Judith said, "No, but come on over and I'll let you practice on one of my wheels." So Barb ended up getting one-on-one instruction from the Judith MacKenzie during the short time she was living in our tiny city.

Barb got to try out several of Judith's wheels, and one of them "stayed" at our place for a while. After a bit, Barb decided on what features she needed, and bought herself a Jensen "Tina II". Mr. Jensen was a fine woodworker, but some of the mechanical bits were designed for expediency, not longevity. So I made fairly extensive modifications to the mechanics, while taking great care not to mess up the wood-work or the esthetics of the wheel.

If I were a woodworker, with Barb knowing what she knows now, I could probably build her the ideal wheel -- for her. But I'n not, so she's in the process of buying her second wheel. Most of her friends in the local spinning group (actually based across the line in NE Washington) think it's long overdue.

Once you start to narrow down the choices, Barb can give you lots of important little details. Many manufacturers ruin an otherwise great design by messing up one or two little things. And I can give you some do's and dont's on the mechanical side.

And once you've built the wheel, and your mother mentions wishing she had a "carder", well there I can give you a lot of good design information  ;D.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

Dan_Shade

thanks for the info.  I'm not sure how much she knows.  local spinning groups?  I'll have to see if I can find any, she probably knows somebody.

I probably should get a set of plans so I don't miss anything, the biggest thing is that it be functional.  if it isn't functional, it's just firewood, i put a lot of time into!  my concern is buying plans for one that's mainly "ornamental"
Woodmizer LT40HDG25 / Stihl 066 alaskan
lots of dull bands and chains

There's a fine line between turning firewood into beautiful things and beautiful things into firewood.

SwampDonkey

Quote from: Dan_Shade on December 18, 2005, 11:50:05 AM
I saw Brucer mentioned spinning yarn for his socks in the sock thread, made me think of a "put off" project of mine.

My mother has wanted a spinning wheel for years, I've wanted to make her one for a while, but I have no idea what one "needs" to be "functional".  I've seen pictures of simple ones, and complex ones, one with treadles, and ones without treadles.

any of you guys have them (or you can call them your wives  :D), some pictures would be great.

My uncle has 2 he lends to the museum, they were his grandmothers, my great grandmother. I say lends, but I'm suspicious. He's been known to give stuff away. My great grandmother raised sheep and made her own yard.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

Brucer

Quote from: Dan_Shade on December 19, 2005, 06:46:36 AM
I probably should get a set of plans so I don't miss anything, the biggest thing is that it be functional.  if it isn't functional, it's just firewood, i put a lot of time into!  my concern is buying plans for one that's mainly "ornamental"

It'd help to have an idea at least what style of wheel she might want. She may already have her own mental image of what a spinning wheel should look like.

I can pass on lots of generic design details that will ensure the wheel is functional, whatever style it is. If you build a Castle wheel (all the moving parts are in a vertical line), I can give you even more information 'cause that's the style Barb has.

A spinning wheel isn't hard to make. It's getting all the little details right, and making sure it suits the needs of the spinner that makes the difference between a good wheel and one that gathers dust in the corner.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

MSU_Keith

My mother in law owns a yarn shop and carries these:

http://www.ashford.co.nz/spinning/spinning-frameset.htm

I have actually tried a little spinning (for investigation sake) ::).  It is really hard to do consistently - makes me wonder how they ever stayed clothed in the old times.  One thing I noticed from a functional/design standpoint is the ability to spin consistent yarn is highly dependent on the tension control to be adjustable for different weights of yarn and also stays consistent.  This includes the spring tension system and the bearing on the bobin carrier 'fork' thingy (not sure of the proper name).  Most of these bearings are metal on all modern models I've seen with a friction fit.

Brucer has the design options covered.  But from my limited experience - single treadle, scotch tension, left hand orifice is best.  You find out real quick whether your left or right 'footed' when you try it.

Let me know if you want any dimentions or pictures - I'll be there right after Christmas

Brucer

Quote from: MSU_Keith on December 20, 2005, 10:46:41 AM
I have actually tried a little spinning (for investigation sake) ::). It is really hard to do consistently - makes me wonder how they ever stayed clothed in the old times. One thing I noticed from a functional/design standpoint is the ability to spin consistent yarn is highly dependent on the tension control to be adjustable for different weights of yarn and also stays consistent. This includes the spring tension system and the bearing on the bobin carrier 'fork' thingy (not sure of the proper name). Most of these bearings are metal on all modern models I've seen with a friction fit.

Brucer has the design options covered. But from my limited experience - single treadle, scotch tension, left hand orifice is best. You find out real quick whether your left or right 'footed' when you try it.

Consistency comes from practice (lots of it), plus a strong feeling of dissatisfaction when it isn't exactly right. Some of Barb's friends have lots of the former, but are satisfied with "good enough". Even with years of practice, they still aren't very consistent. I noticed that the ones who are also knitters tend to get consistent in a hurry, because they really hate knitting with inconsistent yarn.

That "bobbin carrier 'fork' thingy" is called a flyer ;D.

Interestingly enough, Barb much prefers a double treadle wheel, hates Scotch tension, and likes a centered orifice. It all seems to come back to a matter of personal preference. Orifice location depends a lot on what style of spinning you like to do. Fortunately you can make a wheel with both Scotch tensions and double drive. With a little planning you can design a wheel that can be converted from single- to double-treadle without too much hassle.
Bruce    LT40HDG28 bandsaw
"Complex problems have simple, easy to understand wrong answers."

SwampDonkey

I think it was Cedarvale, along the Yellowhead highway....We used to go up by there before turning north on the Highway to the Nass and Stewart. There was a place there that raised sheep and made yarn and knit clothing. Forget the name. Percy may have noticed it if heading over toward Hazelton or Smithers.
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

MSU_Keith

Brucer - the flyer is a much better name than the 'fork thingy', thanks. :-[

I have pondered the manufacturing of spinning wheels and can't seam to figure out how some of these wheels come in at such a relatively low price.  The cost of nice clear cherry, plus all the turnings, the metal parts and assembly adds up to really low labor rates for the price the ask.  I think some of these places break even or lose money on the wheels and make it up in accessories.

Seams like the whole fiber arts scene is on the upswing though.

SwampDonkey

It depends on the machining and the volumes produced.  Although, I can't imagine there being a big demand for spinning wheels. In my neighborhood there were sheep farms within 2 miles but none around here now. Some folks have them as something to ummm set the table with.  ::) But, not for wool. I'm sure there are some out of the way places here that raise a few for wool, but you'de really have to go searching. There's one poor lad with a little roofed red wagon, with a little stove inside and an old horse to pull him around. He peddles some syrup I think he sells on commission. I bet he could use some woolens. Lives at the end of the Grafton Bridge. Probably Danny_S has seen him around also in Woodstock. He's parked over there along the river and in winter months living along a frozen river is the coldest place on earth.  ::)
"No amount of belief makes something a fact." James Randi

1 Thessalonians 5:21

2020 Polaris Ranger 570 to forward firewood, Husqvarna 555 XT Pro, Stihl FS560 clearing saw and continuously thinning my ground, on the side. Grow them trees. (((o)))

MSU_Keith

Some of 'em my MIL carries are machined out MDF - yeesh!   ::)

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